‘I look ahead and I don’t want any of those jobs’

Today, I analysing the situation of a woman I met through LinkedIn. Let’s call her Maria.

Maria’s been working agency-side for 8 years. Recently, she looked at the people ahead of her in the agency and realised…she doesn’t want any of their jobs. 

Long-term agency life is not for Maria. Now, she is itching to make the move to the client-side. Problem is, she has no clue how to get there.

What’s the Challenge?

Maria’s situation is one a lot of people can relate to: she’s had a successful career agency-side, but now, when she looks ahead, she doesn’t like what she sees. 

Her colleagues have been on that same agency path for years, and she doesn’t want to be in their shoes in two years. So, she’s decided it’s time to make the move to the client-side. 

Frustratingly, after applying to a bunch of jobs through LinkedIn, she’s had no bites. She feels like she’s running out of time and isn’t sure what to do next.

How Did She Get Here?

I'm a big fan of agencies. They are a great place to start your career. So I think Maria did the right thing building her early career in agencies. 

However, Maria is experiencing what a lot of agency folk experience. She’s built a solid career in a fast-paced, high-pressure agency environment, where the focus is always on the next project, the next client, and the next promotion. 

But now she’s realised that agency life is not where she wants to stay forever. She wants to get to the client-side but she's finding the job hunt really tough. 

How Can She Move Forward?

Making the switch from agency-side to client-side isn’t always easy, but it’s totally doable. 

Here are a few tips I shared with Maria to help her take action and make that leap:

Tap Into Her Network (Don’t Just Apply)

Maria already has a solid network from her years in the agency world, so now it’s time to put that to good use. 

Instead of just sending out applications and hoping for the best, she should reach out to former colleagues, clients (especially clients!), or anyone in her network who’s already made the switch to client-side. 

A quick chat or informational interview can help her understand the client-side landscape and maybe even uncover job opportunities that aren’t advertised. 

If you struggle with networking and would like a Masterclass on how to do it, check out our Network Builder mini-course.

Position Her Agency Experience as a Superpower

Maria’s agency experience is a goldmine - she just needs to recognise it. She needs to position herself as someone who can bring fresh ideas and an outside perspective to a client-side team. 

The hardest thing in making the move to the client-side is understanding how your experience translates over. We all speak the same language but its like we speak different dialects. Maria needs to learn the dialect of the client-side and translate her experience so they understand it. 

If you struggle with Pitching and Positioning yourself in interviews, check out our mini course. 

Get Clear on What She Wants

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a career change, but Maria needs to get super clear on what role she’s actually looking for. 

Client-side work covers a lot of ground, from marketing to strategy to brand management. 

The clearer she is on the kind of role that excites her AND where her experience translates over, the better she can tailor her job search and pitch to the roles she really wants. This includes understanding what level she is at on the client-side. 

Consider Short-Term Contact Roles

If Maria’s feeling the pressure to move quickly, she might want to consider contract or temporary roles to get her foot in the door. 

These types of roles are a great way to build client-side experience and can often have a more relaxed recruitment process as the role is not permanent. 

Plus, they’ll help her expand her network, understand the client-side 'dialect', and boost her resume for future opportunities.

Making the leap from agency-side to client-side is totally possible - don’t let anyone tell you it's not! 

But you will have to put in some work. It won't be easy. But it will be worth it. 

If you are looking to make the move from agency to client-side and would like some help, the Creative Career Level Up might be the right solution for you.